Interesting story of two German canoeists who had to walk out of the bush in northern Manitoba after destroying their canoe. Hope I can get the link to work HREF="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-german-canoe-crash-1.4266176" TARGET="_blank">

I have had conversations with canoe partners more than once about what it would be like to walk out of wherever we were...I've never been that out in the boonies, but up in Wabakimi or Woodland Caribou does make one wonder about the challenge of exiting without a boat. :)

Canoeists walk out...

quote carmike: "I have had conversations with canoe partners more than once about what it would be like to walk out of wherever we were...I've never been that out in the boonies, but up in Wabakimi or Woodland Caribou does make one wonder about the challenge of exiting without a boat. :) "

Yes, me, too. Up in Wab, I have often looked at a map and tried to figure how I could walk out.

Did they not bring duct tape?

More to the story

I bet they were tending a sour kraut grow.

Re: Dan Cooke's linked story: that is one weird-looking canoe for rough river, for sure! Wonder who they got it from, for their trip...

Wow, that's quite a boat.... Nice sponsons. Glad they made it out & didn't pay for being ill prepared with one or both of their lives.

Wow! Glad they got out OK.

quote yogi59weedr: "I bet they were tending a sour kraut grow."

Yogi wins "Post of the Day".

I ran into an abandon canoe on the Wanipigow this summer that looks like the same model. I think it was a Dolphin. Not sure what the story was but it probably had some good ones.

Looks like a toboggan.

Always heard that Germans love to travel, but this is a bit extreme...
Lucky to be alive.

quote Castaway: "

quote yogi59weedr: "I bet they were tending a sour kraut grow."

Yogi wins "Post of the Day". "

:) I agree.

I actually had to ponder this scenario many years ago. My buddy and I were canoeing down the Guadalupe River in the San Marcos area in TX and the crappy rental we got could barely be considered sea-worthy. It had more patches than original material (like Deets' pants in Lonesome Dove.)

We navigated a couple moderate sets of rapids with ease, then after the second one, we drifted a bit, then suddenly the boat turned sideways and hit the only rock in the whole river (about 100 feet across) and bend the canoe at about a 15 degree angle. As I'm sitting there behind the canoe, trying to save all the bags and the cooler from disappearing downstream, and rescue the paddles, I'm yelling, "Sh!t! We are F*CKED!" and already started to ponder our self-rescue scenario... do we float down river using our life preservers, until we reach a highway crossing? Do we just walk along the bank hoping to avoid water moccasins until we reach some private property, then hope we don't get shot as we walk up looking for help?

My friend said "Let's just get the boat to shore and see what we've got."

We got it to the bank and I jumped up and down in the bottom of the hull until it popped back in place. It only took on a little bit of water the rest of the 3 days.

They did retire the canoe after we returned it, though.

Their canoe looked like it could be fixed with a little ingenuity to plug the hole. With duct tape it would be pretty easy. Without tape, the job would require a little more effort.

so they can just leave the canoe and their gear abandoned in the canadian wilderness? that's just not right.

quote Mocha: "so they can just leave the canoe and their gear abandoned in the canadian wilderness? that's just not right."

good, responsible insight. they should be forced to pay to have their stuff retrieved. after all, it's they who were ill prepared and/or ill equipped.

quote Mocha: "so they can just leave the canoe and their gear abandoned in the canadian wilderness? that's just not right."

There are countless abandoned boats in the Canadian wilderness. I've seen dozens of them. Here's one:



I've launched a few and they all leaked. The wooden ones are down to ribs and keel. I like to encounter them. They're reminders of those who preceded me, a little like pictographs.

quote mjmkjun: "

quote Mocha: "so they can just leave the canoe and their gear abandoned in the canadian wilderness? that's just not right."

good, responsible insight. they should be forced to pay to have their stuff retrieved. after all, it's they who were ill prepared and/or ill equipped.
"

That's asking a lot. The canoe is on a stretch of rapids. I'm guessing you'd have to land a plane on the nearest upriver lake, paddle a whitewater worthy boat to it, someone negotiate more rapids with the dead canoe, and have the float plane meet you downriver on the nearest downriver lake. Better to just drag it into the woods where no one is likely to ever see it again.

quote missmolly: "

quote Mocha: "so they can just leave the canoe and their gear abandoned in the canadian wilderness? that's just not right."

There are countless abandoned boats in the Canadian wilderness. I've seen dozens of them. Here's one:



I've launched a few and they all leaked. The wooden ones are down to ribs and keel. I like to encounter them. They're reminders of those who preceded me, a little like pictographs. "

MM is correct. Canadian bush rivers are littered with destroyed boats. In 11 years of traveling in NW Ontario I have seen numerous wrecked/abandoned boats. I got home a month ago from nearly 3 weeks on the Brightsand and Kopka Rivers. An inventory of what we found on the Kopka includes: three abandoned but serviceable fishing boats with vandalized motors found at end of an long unused portage; several destroyed canoes at the bottom of rapids including one which consisted of just about 2 ft of the bow section. I would have to say I have seen more destroyed or abandoned fishing boats than canoes. They are found on crown land and in PP's. The outfitters should have to remove them. But we also find a lot of trashed and very abused campsites. Our findings are reported to park superintendents and other appropriate officials and what they do about it I don't know.